either: ya sea
though: aunque
instead: en vez

English Language Challenges

Considering that I study film studies, for what is better for me to learn English now is to watch movies and understand what they say without subtitles. In addition, most of the programs for editing and the "set up" of the cameras are in English and it is better to learn the terms in both languages, because it will always appear in one form or another. On the other hand, I do not usually use English in fluent conversations with other people. I am a waitress and sometimes foreigners come to the tables but eager to speak Spanish! so my English is limited to saying things like "another glass? or do you want to pay?"

Making the blog was difficult to me more for the content than for expressing it in English. Questioning so many things about the future that I do not want to answer now was complicated, and because of the blogs of my colleagues, for everyone now the future is somewhat distressing, they are things that can be answered with certainty.

I think what I find most difficult are the irregular verbs and conjugate them in the past or participle quickly when  I speak. I think it is very useful for the university to demand a certain level of English from the professionals who graduate, but sometimes I feel it is more useful to learn it by speaking more often with people whose mother language is English. Surprise how much you are able to express when you have the pressure of someone who is anxious to understand you! While practicing English in guides and exercises sometimes you forget fast. Anyway, I think that this semester I learned a lot and reviewed several things that I had forgotten!

Changes to my study programme

After five years in this career of course I think that many changes are needed, some related to the lack of funding of our institute for the unfair distribution of resources by the University, and others related to the lack of will of the highest authorities - all journalists- to understand cinematographic work as something very different from journalism.

In the first place, although the theoretical contents about mass media theories are necessary in our office, can not be extended for four years of undergraduate. In my opinion, at most four semesters, and taking care always that it is related to cinema and journalism in equal parts. Currently, many contents in the curriculum are repeated year after year. Secondly, the time invested in filming and editing increases more and more as the demand increases according to the level, however our current study programme does not consider this time outside of classes, much less in particularly demanding semesters in which we have the double of theoretical subjects. It is also unkind with those students who seek audiovisual works outside the university. To this is added that the assistantships, instead of being help courses, are like another subject.

Finally, it is quite outrageous that we have one of the most expensive fees in the entire university and we have deficiencies in the cinematographic equipment or we do not have access to technologies that are being used at this moment. It is also hard to believe that only this year will resources be awarded to student projects when all film schools finance at least part of these jobs.

Summer holidays

Like every summer, my plan is to stay in Santiago because I use summers to work and save money. This summer I must do my internship so it will not be different. But since a time I have been thinking about what it would be to do a trip with no date of return... I mean, just take my bag and my camera and travel around our country or our continent... 

As I said few post before, I would like to visit Cuba on a working holidays program, but not this summer because of the internship, but in May, when it is the second trip of the program. This travel counts like a summer holiday, in Cuba is always summer!! Then, when I came back to Chile, I would like to travel with no defined return and forget about the future and schedules. Places I would like to visit: Elqui Valley, San Pedro de Atacama, Cuzco, Machu Pichu, Amazon Rainforest, Rio de Janeiro, Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia, Torres del Paine and more. I would like to visit all these in one big trip without touristic buses or guides, spending as little money as posible. 

Of course I would like to make a documentary about this trip with light equipment and my own style, not like a tv show. A friend of mine who did a trip like this told me about all different people you would know, so I would like to film the diversity of Latin America!